1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a connector for a flat cable used for connecting a flat cable to a printed board.
2. Description of Related Art
When simultaneous transmission of many signals is necessary in an electrical device such as an personal computer, frequently a flat flexible cable, or flat cable, having a plurality of metal wires disposed in parallel is used.
A connector used for connecting this type of cable to a printed board, for example, the connector disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Utility Model, First Publication, No. Hei 4- 61883, is formed by a housing that provides a plurality of terminals arranged inside in parallel at a specified pitch, and a pressing/loading member provided to open and close a release part provided on the side surface of the housing that presses the flat cable onto the contact point of each terminal.
In this connector, the distal ends of a plurality of terminals that are to serve as the contact points are arranged facing in the same direction, the flat cable is inserted from the direction relative to the terminals whose distal ends serve as the contact points, and anchored by being pressed against the housing by the pressing member.
Recently, accompanying the increasingly high capacity of electronic devices, the need to transmit more signals simultaneously and in parallel is increasing, and flat cables having even more metal wires than the flat cable connected to the above-described connector are being developed.
To make these flat cables practical to use, the development of connectors used for connecting them to a printed board is indispensable. However, because the gap between each metal wire of the flat cable is becoming narrower than conventionally, when attempting to use the structure of the above conventional connector as-is, the gap between each of the terminals is becoming accordingly narrower, and the connections of the terminals to the printed board become extremely narrow and complicated.
In consideration of the above-described problems, it is an object of the present invention to provide a connector for a flat cable that can connect a flat cable having even more metal wires than conventionally, and making the connection to the printed board easy to carry out.
A flat cable connector according to the present invention is characterized in: a first group comprising a plurality of terminals having distal ends serving as connection points with a flat cable arranged facing one direction and a second group comprising a plurality of terminals having distal ends serving as connection points with the flat cable arranged facing the other direction and reciprocating each of the terminals of the first group being anchored in a housing at the proximal end of terminal in a state wherein the distal end of each terminal of the second group and the distal end of each terminal of the first group are disposed so as to alternate with each other; an insertion opening being formed in the housing, into which the end part of the flat cable enters and then abuts the distal end of each terminal of the first and the second groups; a plate being interposed in the space between the end part of the flat cable inserted into the insertion opening and each terminal of the first and second groups; and a plate displacing mechanism being provided that, by displacing the plate, elastically deforms and thereby separates from the flat cable each of the terminals of the first and second groups.
In this connector for a flat cable, the connection of a flat cable having even more metal wires than conventionally can be connected because even if the gap between each terminal is narrow, the connection to the board does not become complicated due to a structure wherein each terminal of the first group face each terminal of the second group and at the same time the distal ends of the terminals that serve as the connection points with the flat cable are disposed so as to alternate with each other.
In addition, when connecting the flat cable, each terminal of the first and second groups is flexibly deformed by displacing a plate, and thus when the end part of the flat cable is inserted into the insertion opening, the end of the flat cable is not hindered by any terminal of the second group, and reaches a specified position within the housing. Subsequently, when the flexible deformation of each of the terminals of the first and second groups is relieved, the distal end of each terminal can communicates by abutment with the end of the flat cable.
When removing the flat cable, each of the terminals of the first and second groups is flexibly deformed by displacing the plate in the same manner and separated from the end of the flat cable, and then the flat cable is pulled out. Thus, as when connecting, the end of the flat cable can be extracted from the insertion opening without interference from each terminal of the second group.
In the plate displacement mechanism, a structure preferably used comprises an overhang of the plate that overhangs in the more outward traverse direction of the flat cable than the flat cable inserted from the insertion hole and an opening communicating with this overhang by being formed in the direction of displacement of the plate on the housing. Thereby, there is no influence from the flat cable, and the plate can be easily operated.